Substrate processing apparatuses that perform various types of processing on substrates have conventionally been used in the process of manufacturing semiconductor substrates (hereinafter, simply referred to as “substrates”). For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-93230 (Document 1) discloses a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates by one operation. With the substrate processing apparatus in Document 1, a plurality of substrates held in a horizontal posture and aligned along the thickness (hereinafter, referred to as a “thickness direction”) of the substrates are transported into the apparatus, and a posture changing mechanism changes the posture of the plurality of substrates to a vertical posture at once and then collectively transfers the substrates to a pusher.
The posture changing mechanism includes a horizontal holding member that holds a plurality of substrates in a horizontal posture, and a holding groove member that holds a plurality of substrates in a vertical posture. The horizontal holding member and the holding groove member are disposed adjacent to each other and are rotatable at once. In the posture changing mechanism, when a plurality of substrates are in a horizontal posture, the horizontal holding member supports each substrate in a horizontal posture from the underside while being in contact with the lower surface of the substrate. Then, the posture of the plurality of substrates is changed to a vertical posture by rotating the horizontal holding member and the holding groove member by 90 degrees along with the substrates, so that each substrate is supported from the underside by the holding groove member, which is positioned adjacent to and below the horizontal holding member. Thereafter, an up-and-down holder of the pusher collectively receives and holds the substrates in a vertical posture from the holding groove member while moving from below to above the holding groove member and the horizontal holding member. At this time, the substrates held in a vertical posture by the up-and-down holder move upward along the horizontal holding member.
In some cases, substrates to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus may be warped under the influence of processing performed before transport to the substrate processing apparatus. The sizes in the thickness direction of warped substrates are larger than those of flat substrates, which are not warped. Thus, when the plurality of substrates are transferred from the posture changing mechanism to the pusher in Document 1, the substrates that are held in a vertical posture and moved upward by the up-and-down holder may come into contact with the horizontal holding member.